2026 F1 Team‑Mate Showdowns Following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

The 2026 Formula 1 season has produced a wealth of head‑to‑head data, tracking how teammates have performed against each other across qualifying, sprint and race sessions for every one of the eleven teams. Below is a comprehensive recap that not only lists the raw numbers but also adds context to help fans understand the trends and storylines emerging from the latest Azerbaijan Grand Prix and the races that preceded it. **McLaren (Norris vs.

Piastri)** - **Qualifying:** Norris edged Piastri 9‑6. - **Sprint:** Norris dominated with a clean 5‑0 sweep. - **Race:** The Grand Prix saw Norris win 8‑7, while the sprint remained a 5‑0 victory for him.

- **Championship points:** Norris leads with 186 points to Piastri’s 120. - **Season‑long placement:** Norris has been finishing between 4th and 7th, whereas Piastri’s best results sit around 7th place.

- **Note:** No points were awarded for the Chinese Grand Prix because both drivers failed to start the race. **Williams (Russell vs. Antonelli)** - **Qualifying:** Antonelli out‑qualified Russell 8‑7. - **Sprint:** Antonelli again took the upper hand 3‑2.

- **Race:** The Grand Prix was a tougher outing for Antonelli, who finished 10th to Russell’s 5th, while the sprint flipped the result to 4‑1 in Antonelli’s favour. - **Championship points:** Russell has amassed 236 points, comfortably ahead of Antonelli’s 302 (the higher figure reflects Antonelli’s stronger sprint performances).

- **Placement:** Russell’s best finish this season has been 2nd, while Antonelli has already stood on the top step of the podium. **Red Bull (Verstappen vs.

Hadjar)** - **Qualifying:** Verstappen out‑qualified Hadjar 8‑4. - **Sprint:** Verstappen swept the sprint 4‑0. - **Race:** In the Grand Prix Verstappen finished 9th to Hadjar’s 3rd, and the sprint remained a 4‑0 win for Verstappen. - **Championship points:** Verstappen leads with 163 points to Hadjar’s 86.

- **Placement:** Verstappen’s season‑long finishes range from 6th to 8th, while Hadjar has been battling in the lower midfield. - **Driver swap:** Liam Lawson temporarily replaced Hadjar for the Dutch, Italian and Spanish rounds, giving the team a chance to test a different line‑up.

**Red Bull (Verstappen vs. Lawson)** - **Qualifying:** Verstappen beat Lawson 3‑0. - **Sprint:** Verstappen again took a 1‑0 sprint win. - **Race:** The Grand Prix result was 2‑1 to Verstappen, and the sprint stayed 1‑0.

**Ferrari vs. Mercedes (Leclerc vs. Hamilton)** - **Qualifying:** Leclerc edged Hamilton 8‑7.

- **Sprint:** Hamilton turned the tables with a 3‑2 win. - **Race:** Leclerc finished 7th to Hamilton’s 8th, while the sprint saw Leclerc win 3‑2. - **Championship points:** Leclerc has collected 179 points, Hamilton 199. - **Placement:** Leclerc’s best finishes this year have been 5th, while Hamilton has already stood on the podium twice, finishing as high as 3rd.

**Alfa Romeo (Albon vs. Sainz)** - **Qualifying:** Sainz out‑qualified Albon 11‑4. - **Sprint:** Sainz dominated the sprint 4‑1. - **Race:** The Grand Prix saw Sainz finish 9th to Albon’s 6th, with the sprint mirroring the 4‑1 advantage.

- **Championship points:** Albon’s tally sits at 5 points, Sainz at 7. - **Placement:** Albon has been running near the back of the field (18th‑19th), while Sainz is slightly higher at 17th‑18th.

**Alpine (Lawson vs. Lindblad)** - **Qualifying:** Lawson beat Lindblad 7‑5. - **Sprint:** The sprint was evenly split 2‑2.

- **Race:** Lawson finished 8th to Lindblad’s 4th, and the sprint gave Lawson a 3‑1 edge. - **Championship points:** Lawson leads with 59 points, Lindblad trails with 37. - **Placement:** Lawson’s season best is 9th, Lindblad’s is 11th.

**AlphaTauri (Lindblad vs. Tsunoda)** - After Lawson’s stint, Yuki Tsunoda stepped in for the Dutch, Italian and Spanish rounds. - **Qualifying:** Lindblad out‑qualified Tsunoda 3‑0. - **Sprint:** Lindblad again won the sprint 1‑0.

- **Race:** Lindblad finished 2nd to Tsunoda’s 1st in the Grand Prix, while the sprint remained 1‑0 for Lindblad. **Aston Martin (Alonso vs. Stroll)** - **Qualifying:** Alonso dominated with a 13‑2 margin. - **Sprint:** Alonso kept the advantage at 4‑1.

- **Race:** In the Grand Prix Alonso won 8‑2, and the sprint was 3‑2. - **Championship points:** Alonso has 3 points, Stroll none.

- **Placement:** Alonso’s best finish is 19th, Stroll’s 21st. - **Note:** No points were awarded for several races (Australian, Chinese, Barcelona, Dutch, Azerbaijan) because both drivers retired. **Alpine (Bearman vs.

Ocon)** - **Qualifying:** Bearman beat Ocon 10‑4. - **Sprint:** Bearman won 3‑2. - **Race:** Bearman’s Grand Prix result was 8‑6, while the sprint flipped to 2‑3 for Ocon. - **Championship points:** Bearman leads with 20 points to Ocon’s 7.

- **Placement:** Bearman sits 13th‑16th, Ocon 16th‑19th. - **Special cases:** Bearman missed Spanish qualifying, and both drivers retired in the Dutch Grand Prix, meaning no points were awarded for those events.

**Hulkenberg vs. Bortoleto (Haas)** - **Qualifying:** Hulkenberg edged Bortoleto 7‑8.

- **Sprint:** The sprint saw a 2‑3 split. - **Race:** The Grand Prix mirrored qualifying 7‑8, while the sprint was affected by a disqualification for Bortoleto and a non‑start for Hulkenberg, resulting in a 1‑3 score.

- **Championship points:** Hulkenberg has 7 points, Bortoleto 10. - **Placement:** Hulkenberg’s best finish is 15th, Bortoleto 14th. **Alpine (Gasly vs. Colapinto)** - **Qualifying:** Gasly out‑qualified Colapinto 12‑3.

- **Sprint:** Gasly won 3‑2. - **Race:** Gasly finished 8th to Colapinto’s 6th, and the sprint was 4‑1. - **Championship points:** Gasly leads with 41 points, Colapinto has 27. - **Placement:** Gasly’s best finish is 10th, Colapinto’s 12th.

- **Note:** No points for the Azerbaijan sprint as both retired. **Red Bull (Perez vs. Bottas)** - **Qualifying:** Perez narrowly beat Bottas 8‑7. - **Sprint:** Perez took a 3‑2 win.

- **Race:** Perez’s Grand Prix win was 9‑4, but the sprint flipped to 2‑3 for Bottas. - **Championship points:** Neither driver earned points in the listed events.

- **Placement:** Perez finished 23rd, Bottas 22nd. - **Note:** Both drivers retired in the Austrian and Hungarian Grands Prix, so no points were allocated. Overall, the 2026 season continues to be a roller‑coaster of driver swaps, retirements, and occasional dominant performances. Fans can follow every race live on Sky Sports F1, stream without a contract via NOW, or catch the latest analysis on The F1 Show podcast.

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